Pepperoni Pizza Spaghetti

This pizza-inspired pasta dish is my own creation. I remember eating  pepperoni spaghetti as a kid, but somehow that recipe never made it into my hands. Ryan is training for a marathon and asked me to make a carb-loaded meal to prep him for a long run. At first I was considering chicken spaghetti, but I decided to try a twist on an old favorite.

As with pizza, you could substitute my veggies and olives for your own favorite "toppings." You could also adjust the amount of spaghetti sauce to achieve your desired level of sauciness. I used whole wheat spaghetti, part-skim mozzarella and turkey pepperoni to help the nutritional content of this meal, but it would be even more delicious if you use the real deals instead. 

Servings: 8             WW Points+: 7

10 oz. whole wheat spaghetti

4 oz. turkey pepperoni

1 medium green bell pepper

1 medium onion

2 large white mushrooms
1-2 cloves garlic

2 oz. sliced black olives

1 tsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 cup spaghetti or pizza sauce

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1 cup part-skim mozzarella

Cook spaghetti according to package instructions. Drain and set aside in a large bowl. Slice the pepperonis and mushrooms and dice the bell pepper, garlic and onion.

Spray a 11x17 casserole dish with nonstick spray. Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly along the bottom of the dish. This will be the "crust" of the pizza spaghetti.

Heat oil in a medium skillet. Add the onion, bell pepper, pepperoni, mushrooms, garlic and red pepper flakes and saute all ingredients until the onions and peppers start to soften.

Transfer contents of skillet to the bowl of spaghetti. Add the olives and spaghetti sauce.

Combine all ingredients, making sure the sauce is mixed throughout.

 Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared dish.

Top with mozzarella and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

When it's ready, the cheese will be melted and the dish will be heated through.

Remove from oven and allow to cool before cutting into 8 pieces.

Running with Purpose

This weekend I ran my very first 5k at the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Austin. This was not my first Race for the Cure; in fact, it was my 5th. I've walked in the Houston RFTC with the Cyndi's Warriors team three years in a row, and Ryan and I walked the Austin 5k in 2008 (the year my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer). Until recently, I would have NEVER thought I'd be running a 5k, or even one mile. Here's the story of how I managed to cross the finish line.

The Couch-to-5k Running Plan is a 3 workout per week interval training program that boasts it can help even novice runners complete a 3.1-mile run in 9 weeks. I first heard of the program quite a while ago, but I always told myself I was just not a runner. I believed some people were natural runners - my husband, father-in-law and sister-in-law, for example - and others were just not built for it.  Clearly, I was the latter. I have flat feet, poor posture, and a chest that is large enough to cause some issues. The most running I had ever done was our weekly mile in freshman basketball, and I always finished toward the back of the pack.

Me as a freshman one-miler

As the summer was winding down, the weight loss I achieved in the first part of the year had stalled, and I needed a boost to get me back on track. I decided to give Couch to 5k a shot. At first the thought of it was a bit daunting. My fellow Texans will know that we were still experiencing 100-degree days in late August, so I was careful to time my runs late enough to miss the scorching heat. Before I got started, I wondered how I would keep track of the changing run/walk intervals without feeling totally overwhelmed. Then I found the C25K iPhone App by Bluefin Software, LLC. This $2.99 purchase took all the thinking out of the workouts for me. I could just open it up, chose the next workout in the series and listen to my own energizing playlist while the app notified me when to walk, run and when I had reached key milestones. For an extra $0.99 I upgraded the app to map my runs and track my distance and pace. I mentioned I was doing a 5k program to my good friend Brittany after one of my first workouts. She hadn't run in a long time and was looking to get back into it, so she got the iPhone app, too. We decided we would do the November 13th Race for the Cure together as our first official 5k.

My girl, Britt, and me in the cute race shirts she made

The program started off relatively easy with 20 minutes of 60- and 90-second run/walk intervals. The real challenge began in the second week with 8-minute run segments, and it was an uphill climb from there. There were many times I felt so terrible while I was running that I wondered who would really care if I quit. Whenever I got in that frame of mind, I remembered my mother and how bravely she fought against breast cancer. After we discovered the cancer had spread, everything was a challenge for her. She worked tirelessly in physical therapy to learn how to walk again after brain surgery. In spite of her chemotherapy treatments and multiple sessions of brain radiation, she was determined to make our previously scheduled family vacation. Even though her lungs were so full of tumors that she was constantly out of breath, my mom wouldn't let that stop her from getting out of the house every chance she could to live a "normal" life for those final months. I would think of all that when I ran, and I knew bowing out of the race was not an option.

My courageous mom and me in October 2009

On race day, I was feeling a little apprehensive. College Station is extremely flat, and the downtown Austin course would take us through some major hills.  However, I knew I would finish the run. I didn't really care how long it took me or how crappy I felt at the end; I would get through it. Ryan and Brittany's fiance, Chris, decided to run, too.

Brittany, Chris, me and Ryan before the run

We did the untimed run with a rolling start time. The excitement of the event helped us start off with a quick pace. To me, the first mile seemed like nothing. But as the sun got higher and the inclines kept coming, I started to get tired and out of breath. At some point I realized one of my toenails was creating a cut in the toe beside it, but I blocked that out of my mind. I think Ryan could tell I was struggling when he asked me to tell him how far we'd gone (by checking my app), and I barked at him that I didn't know and wasn't going to look. He has been so supportive through this adventure, and I am lucky to have his encouragement.

Ryan ran behind me the whole race even though he is much faster than me

We all ran the race as a group and managed to finish in just over 31 minutes. As we turned a corner and caught sight of the finish line, we all got an extra burst of energy to speed up and finish strong. Britt and I were very proud of ourselves, even though we were all hot, sweaty messes. The picture doesn't quite do it justice.

We did it!

My experience training and running the 5k has been a great one. Even though I still don't feel like a natural runner and can't say I really enjoy running, I feel the rewards far outweigh the difficulties. I plan to participate in at least two local 5ks before the end of the year, and I would recommend the Couch-to-5k program to anyone. Today I purchased the Bridge to 10k app so I can start working toward a new goal - but probably not until early next year ;)

Weekend with Kelsey & Ryker

Last weekend my sister, Kelsey, and her 5-month-old son, Ryker, came to stay with us. They live in El Paso with my brother-in-law, Jeremy, who is in the Army. While he has been out in the desert for field exercises the past few weeks, Kelsey and Ryker have been making their Houston rounds. I was so glad they came up to College Station for some extended QT.

Although El Paso is about 12 hours away, I have been fortunate to see Kels and little Ryker several times since his birth in May. But it had been a couple months since I had seen them, and Ryker has changed so much! I must warn you: If you do not want to see multiple pictures of an adorable baby, do not read any further. 

Just look at how big Ryke has gotten! He's already in 9 month clothes!

Uncle Ry had a fun time with little Ry. Ryan changed a diaper for the first time this weekend and even babysat for an hour or so while Kelsey and I got pedicures and Starbucks.

Olive loved Ryker; perhaps a little too much. She especially loved the way he tasted and had to be repeatedly scolded to stop licking him. Midge also enjoyed the baby, but she was more respectful of his personal space.

To coax smiles out of Ryker for the photos, Kels and I would sing and dance behind the camera. Some of his favorites were the choruses of "Ms. New Booty" by Bubba Sparxxx and "Hoochie Mama" by 2 Live Crew.

We went to Downtown Bryan for First Friday and popped into The Attic antique store to browse. I'm so glad we did because we found this great Eames chair at a good price. I'm a bit of a furniture fanatic and have wanted an Eames chair for many years. It also provided a good backdrop for some pictures of the little guy.

Looking serious for his close up.

Since Kelsey didn't get any photos on Halloween, we put Ryker in his costume for a few shots.

Little slobber monster!

We have angered the beast! Time to hand him back to mama...

 

Up in the sky! It's a bird...it's a plane...it's Super Ryke!

We had a fun long weekend with our dear sister and precious nephew. The holidays better hurry up so we can see them again. I can't wait to see how much Ryker has grown and changed by then.

Tricks & Treats

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. As a dramatic little kid with an affinity for sweets, the reasons I loved Halloween were very obvious. Now that I'm an adult, I still love getting all dressed up and taking on a new persona for the night. And I've always been one to enjoy a good scare. Since moving to College Station, our Halloweens have been a little less eventful. Without a costume party to attend or Ryan and his buddies dressing up as some 4-piece music act, we have gotten fully involved in passing out candy to trick-or-treaters. This year we decorated the pathway up to our door in an attempt to create that spooky suspense I enjoyed as kid. Here's a view of our house from the street.

A ghoul averts the kiddos' attention to the corner...

...and the witch catches them off guard.

"Raaaaawwwr. Happy Halloween! Boo!"

Even the dogs got in on the fun in costumes that lived up to their nicknames. Olive was our jack-O-lantern, and Midgey Moo was a cow.

For being good sports, they got some treats of their own.

So that was our quiet but fun Halloween. I hope you enjoyed your holiday however you celebrated it.

Quick & Easy Taco Chili

This recipe gets made a lot more often than I'd like to admit at my house. It's just so easy and so darn good that I try to have everything but the meat on hand so I can quickly whip it together on a weeknight.
 

I created this recipe as a variation on the taco salad my mom used to make. She would put the bean and meat mixture over a salad then drizzle the sauce on top and toss it. You can do that if you'd like, but I've found mixing it all up in the skillet gives you more versatility and makes for better leftovers. You can still eat it on a taco salad, or you can use this chili as taco filling or topping for tostadas and nachos. You can put it on a baked potato or top it with cheese and crushed chips to enjoy it as a Mexican-flavored chili.

Servings: 6         WW Points+: 5 with lean turkey, 6 with lean beef

1.25 lb lean ground beef or turkey (I used turkey)

1 small onion, diced (optional)

1 15 oz. can Ranch Style beans (I buy the kind with jalapenos)

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

1 pkg. reduced-sodium taco seasoning

Coat a large skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Saute onions over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes.  Add the meat and brown, breaking it up into small pieces with a fork. Drain off the fat. Reduce heat and add beans to the skillet without draining.

 

In a separate microwaveable container, mix the tomato sauce and taco seasoning and heat in the microwave for 25 seconds. Stir making sure the seasoning is thoroughly mixed through the sauce. Pour sauce over beans and meat and stir to combine.

Let simmer for a few minutes until mixture is heated through and slightly bubbly. Serve on tostadas, taco shells, salad or whatever else you can dream up. Shown below on a baked tostada with baby spinach blend, reduced fat shredded cheese, onion, grape tomatoes and reduced fat sour cream (additional Points+).

 

Rangers going all the way, baby!

Tonight is game 2 of the World Series match up between the Texas Rangers and the St. Louis Cardinals. Game 1 went to St. Louis 3-2 with a really stupid second out in the 9th inning for the Rangers. Hopefully tonight the Rangers can even the score and then come on back to Texas and dominate.

Ryan has been a Rangers fan for life, so their games have been on in our house quite a bit over the last few years. Although I grew up in Houston an Astros fan with a huge crush on Craig Biggio, I now consider myself a Rangers fan, too. With so many exciting and talented players (my favorites are Josh Hamilton, Nelly Cruz, Elivs Andrus and Ian Kinsler), how could I not enjoy watching them? I don't see anything wrong with it because: 1. the Astros and Rangers are in different leagues, 2. the Astros no longer play in the Astrodome or have any of the players I used to love on their roster, and 3. I was born in Ft. Worth and have a baby picture in a Rangers onesie, so I'm really just returning to my roots.

Last Saturday I attended my very first game at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington (I saw the Rangers on the road in Minneapolis when we visited friends this summer). Ryan and I have been trying to be smart with our money, but sometimes you have to remember you only live once and splurge a little. It was game 6 of the ALCS Championship Series versus the Detroit Tigers. The Rangers recovered from an early Tigers lead with 9, that's right 9, runs in the 3rd inning. The crowd was electric, and when the confetti dropped the Rangers had clenched the title with a 15-5 final score. It was a very memorable experience and some quality road trip time for the two of us. I thought I'd close with a couple of pictures from the game and by saying GO RANGERS! My hubby will not be very fun to be around if they can't close the deal in this second World Series appearance ;)

 Get the fireworks and confetti going, the Rangers are headed to the World Series!

 Ry and me after a thrilling game.